Fluid–Thermal–Structure Interaction of Hypersonic Inlets Under Different Aspect Ratios

Abstract

It is crucial to consider the fluid–thermal–structural interaction (FTSI) in designing the scramjet inlet for sustained hypersonic flight. To understand the aerothermal and aeroelastic responses of the planar hypersonic inlets under different flight Mach numbers and aspect ratios, a three-dimensional FTSI framework was developed and validated. After that, the FTSI characteristics under different flight Mach numbers and aspect ratios were investigated. The result reveals that the most obvious horizontal displacement happens at the cowl lip leading edge, whereas the maximum vertical displacement takes place at the compression-ramp leading edge. The FTSI improves the capture area and generates an additional compression angle due to the different thermal expansions between the windward and leeward panels. The thermal expansion in the spanwise direction causes the cowl lip to hump into an arc, and the maximum height happens at the midplane. The effects of FTSI on the inlet flowfield, the mass flow rate, and the total pressure ratio under different flight Mach numbers and aspect ratios were obtained. Overall, the FTSI can improve the contraction ratio, the actual mass flow rate, and the pressure ratio while causing the total pressure ratio to decrease by up to 14.64%.